GUWAHATI, Sept 1 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today directed the State Power Department to adopt an aggressive strategy for timely implementation of the ambitious rural electrification scheme Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya in the State.
Sonowal, while reviewing the progress of the scheme in a meeting held in his office conference hall at the Janata Bhawan, asked the Department to take steps for empowerment of �turnkey contractors� and engaging one officer in each district to expedite and monitor the electrification process on a day-to-day basis.
�The Power Department must take cognizance of the hallowed objective of this scheme and walk the extra mile to ensure its swift and effective execution,� he observed.
Considering the challenges before the Department in terms of accessibility, infrastructure and other issues in the implementation of the scheme, Sonowal advised the officials to classify the areas to be covered into extremely difficult, moderately difficult and easily accessible categories.
The Power Department officials during the review meeting informed the Chief Minister that while 47 lakh households have already been electrified under the scheme, another 14.25 lakh households are yet to be covered but works on the same have reached different stages of completion.
Minister of State (independent charge) for Power Topon Kumar Gogoi and other senior officials of the Department concerned were present in the meeting.
Saubhagya scheme aims at providing free electricity connections to all households, both APL and poor families in rural areas and poor families in urban areas of the country within December this year.
